Newslinks for Tuesday 25th October 2016

Airports 1) As Heathrow is set to get the green light, Johnson will limit his criticism to one interview

‘Boris Johnson has promised Theresa May he won’t “tour the TV studios” today as he sets out his opposition to a third runway at Heathrow. The foreign secretary has pledged to limit his criticism to just one television interview as he makes use of the special exemption granted to prevent him from resigning over the issue, allies say. Mr Johnson once promised to lie down in front of bulldozers rather than allow a third runway at Heathrow and Justine Greening, the education secretary, has been barely less critical.’ – The Times (£)

Goldsmith threatens to resign in the Commons this afternoon – The Sun (£)

Airports 2) Hague: This should only be the start of a new infrastructure boom

‘The real test of this announcement, however, will be whether it is part of a far bigger plan to show the British economy is a good bet for the long term. We need it to be seen around the world as the beginning of confident plans for the future rather than the end of being unable to make a decision at all…The best answer to the current uncertainty is for the Government to show certainty, confidence and vision. And that means that by the time the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, sits down after delivering his Autumn Statement on November 23, the world should be saying this: whatever you think of leaving the EU, those British know how to plan for the future in an exciting and compelling way. ‘ – William Hague, Daily Telegraph

Brexit 1) May offers parliamentary debates on the process

‘The PM offered the Commons a series of debates on “the high-level principles” that will make up her EU exit negotiations. They will come before she triggers the official ‘Article 50’ departure process before next April, but they will not include a vote…Andrew Tyrie warned her that nervous businesses have told him they are “planning for the worst” because of Brexit uncertainty…But the PM hit back at the backbencher to insist: “He knows full well that if this government would set out every jot and tittle, that would be the best way to get the worst deal for the UK”.’ – The Sun (£)

Brexit 2) The EU demands Britain pay £700 million more

‘Britain’s public finances have been hit by a post-Brexit £700 million EU budget bill, an internal Treasury briefing reveals. Brussels increased its demand by more than 25 per cent last month, according to the note intended only for Treasury ministers and officials. The document, marked “sensitive” but released in error on the department’s website, also reveals that No 11 has given up on hitting its targets to reduce Britain’s deficit this year.’ – The Times (£)

Brexit 3) Nicola Sturgeon is unhappy

‘Ms Sturgeon and other leaders of the country’s devolved administrations met Mrs May at Downing Street on Monday for the first in a series of meetings to discuss Britain’s exit from the EU. Before the talks Ms Sturgeon had called on Westminster to pursue a “flexible” deal with the bloc that could secure Scotland’s place in the European single market…She has warned she could demand a new independence referendum “if it becomes clear that it is the best or the only way of protecting our interests”…Speaking after the encounter Ms Sturgeon, who also leads the Scottish National party, said there had been a “full and frank exchange of views”. “Large parts of the meeting were deeply frustrating. I don’t know any more now about the UK government’s approach to the EU negotiations than I did before I went in to the meeting.”’ – FT

We voted as one kingdom, we will leave as one kingdom – The Sun Says (£)

Bradley u-turns on press restrictions

‘The government has backed down over plans to make newspapers pay libel costs even if they win their case. The proposal, which could have forced smaller newspapers out of business and led to excessive payouts for others, had prompted growing anger over recent weeks. It would have allowed anyone to claim that a local or national publication had published false and damaging allegations, knowing that the defendant — the paper — would probably have to pay the court costs even if they won the case. Costs for libel hearings can reach millions of pounds. Westminster sources revealed last night that the “punitive elements” of Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act, which would force a newspaper to pay libel damages irrespective of whether or not it won, “will not go ahead”.’ – The Times (£)

She fears Section 40 would put local papers out of business – Daily Mail

France starts dismantling the Jungle – as hundreds of migrants wander off

‘Thousands of people have been loaded onto buses outside the squalid Calais migrant camp and taken to asylum centres dotted around the French countryside in a bid by the government to shut down the so-called ‘jungle’ once and for all. Aid agencies had warned that some migrants could try to resist being relocated, though there were only a handful of minor scuffles with police on Monday morning. Hundreds of migrants who grew frustrated with lining up for the buses headed back to the camp later in the day, complaining that they were not being processed quickly enough.’ – Daily Telegraph

Abbott says age checks proposal made her ashamed to be British – Daily Mail

Patel’s war on waste

‘Ms Patel told The Telegraph that her department will in the coming weeks “call out” foreign aid organisations using British money in “completely the wrong way”. And she disclosed that in future Union flags should be displayed on all British foreign aid packages, in a major show of “soft power” in the wake of Brexit. Speaking on a trip to Africa, she warned that she will “shut down” any British funding streams found to be “wasting” money…Her department’s Multilateral Aid Review will be published in the middle of next month and will lay bare the way large aid agencies fail to get good value for money on British taxpayer-funded aid projects.’ – Daily Telegraph

Labour MP calls on Chakrabarti to give full details of how she got her peerage

‘Shami Chakrabarti is “damaging” the credibility of Labour and must set out a detailed timeline of precisely when she first discussed a peerage with Jeremy Corbyn, a senior Labour MP has warned. Wes Streeting has called on the Labour peer to set out clearly when she was made aware that her name was on a long-list of peers drawn up by Jeremy Corbyn and when the Labour leader first spoke to her about the honour. It follows claims that Baroness Chakrabarti was aware that she could be given a peerage before she was invited to investigate allegations of anti-Semitism.’ – Daily Telegraph

The party has been fined for failing to declare Edstone spending – The Guardian

Foreign donor scandal engulfs Trump campaign

‘Trump’s presidential campaign is facing a fundraising scandal after a Telegraph investigation exposed how key supporters were prepared to accept illicit donations from foreign backers. Senior figures involved with the Great America PAC, one of the leading “independent” groups organising television advertisements and grassroots support for the Republican nominee, sought to channel $2 million from a Chinese donor into the campaign to elect the billionaire despite laws prohibiting donations from foreigners. In return, undercover reporters purporting to represent the fictitious donor were assured that he would obtain “influence” if Mr Trump made it to the White House.’ – Daily Telegraph

Trump’s daughter-in-law hints they have a surprise up their sleeve – Daily Mail

UKIP leadership candidate took a gun to IKEA…and claimed a gay donkey raped his horse

‘The Ukip leadership contest descended into further farce today after a man who once claimed a gay donkey raped his horse became the eighth candidate to enter the race. John Rees-Evans made the bizarre claim while campaigning as a parliamentary candidate in 2014 but as he entered the race to replace Nigel Farage as leader today, he apologised and dismissed the comment as ‘playful banter’. He was also asked about reports he took a handgun into an Ikea store in Bulgaria ‘in case terrorists laid siege to the building’.’ – Daily Mail

Tatchell: The ‘gay cake’ ruling sets a dangerous precedent

‘The verdict is a setback for freedom of expression — a dangerous, authoritarian precedent. As well as ruling that Ashers can be legally penalised for not aiding the promotion of same-sex marriage, it also implies that gay bakers could be at risk of legal action if they refuse to decorate cakes with homophobic wording. It gives a green light to far-right extremists to demand that businesses facilitate the promotion of their anti-immigrant opinions. Do we really want a Muslim printer to be legally obliged to publish cartoons of Muhammad and a Jewish printer to be required, under threat of legal action, to publish a book propagating Holocaust denial?’ – Peter Tatchell, The Times (£)

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